London, July 19 (Reuters): The BBC suspended some senior editors today after the public broadcaster unearthed a string of fake phone-in competitions that tarnished its reputation and torpedoed the trust of viewers.

“We can confirm that some senior editorial leaders have been asked to step back from their duties,” a BBC spokeswoman said.

The BBC, one of the world’s most respected broadcasters, said it was suspending phone-related competitions from today after admitting it had put fake winners on air in popular fund-raising shows. It is the biggest crisis faced by the BBC since it locked horns with the British government over its coverage of Iraq.